Rolling Rock Extra Pale | Latrobe Brewing Co.

0 characters.
We love reviews! Turn your rating into one with ≥ 150 characters. Awesome. Thanks for the review!

In English, explain why you're giving this rating. Your review must discuss the beer's attributes (look, smell, taste, feel) and your overall impression in order to indicate that you have legitimately tried the beer. Nonconstructive reviews may be removed without notice and action may be taken on your account.

Notes / Commercial Description:
Using a time-honored recipe with only the finest malted barley and blend of hops, Rolling Rock is a classic American lager that is as well-known for its distinctive, full-bodied taste as it is for its craftsmanship, heritage and painted green bottle.

Full-flavored, with a subtle bite. Light-to-medium body and color. Brewed with only the choicest ingredients; a perfect blend of pale barley malt, rice and corn.

D- It's odd, but this may be one of the better american macro lagers out there. As odd as the aftertaste is I sortof like it. The green bottle worried me, but with how low of hop flavor is in this I doubt there is much worry of skunking.

More User Reviews:

4/5 rDev +54.4%look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Back in the mid 60's (before craft beer was even an idea) in the Wash, DC area, you had to know a stewardess who flew to Colorado to get the "legendary" Coors beer. But we somehow found Rolling Rock (AKA "Rock n' Roll") in limited distribution from nearby Pennsylvania. I happened to travel to Amish country a lot and brought it back by the case. I was very popular when I got back! Now you can get it just about anywhere. Availability and craft brews have diminished much of its former mystique!

Like Coors, Rolling Rock originated from spring water, we called it East Coast Coors back then. For me, it's nostalgia. It's not a hop monster or an IPA. It isn't 8% alcohol. It's just a refreshing pre-micro brew beer. I was in the business for a while and, in the industry, beers were rated on "quaffability" - or "how easy to drink". Rolling Rock is highly quaffable and is a refreshing beer. Drink it cold like the spring water it's made from. Good to note, classic German beers historically had to have their artesian well water source certified before being licensed to produce. Just like coffee - you have to start with good water.

You can taste the grains and the clean water. It's cheap now, but was competitively priced back when - and Yuengling was on the cheap, because "no one" understood real German beer back then. Every dog has his day!

For me, Rolling Rock is not just a beer, it's a part of my youth. Easier times - no fancy brews, they were just good or not good. Rolling Rock was robust for its day and highly sought after on the East Coast. It still retains some of its historic mojo now, as confirmed by its rather favorable reviews here - for such an "un-craft" brew. I have one sitting on my desk right now - bought it on sale!

Rolling Rock. Who can forget the jewel green bottles and the horse on the front with the eloquent speech on the back containing 33 words? This beer is so epic on the right days it's like a 10 out of 5. Lawnmower beer? Yes please. Relax on the couch after work? Yep. Empty bottle? Hand me another.

Taste - A mellow, lightly sour, yet spicy flavor that bites nicely and leaves you feeling satisfied. A body of corn sweetness envelopes the flavors and wraps it up in a gift horse for your tongue. Spicy notes leave a dry flavor on the palate.

Overall - Rolling Rock is a tasty treat at a perfect price. And dude, most places sell this for less than 10 bucks a 12 pack. It's cheap AND satisfying. It seems to always be sold out in my area. When I'm out, I buy more. Just make sure you serve it ice cold because once it stays at room temperature longer than 15 minutes it's no good.

I used to drink this beer daily in the early 2000's, and I used to buy it by the case. I didn't know any better, and I was spending a little bit more than I probably should have.
Look: It looks very generic and not eye pleasing whatsoever.
Smell: Coppery, sort of skunky to me.
Taste: Not the greatest but goes along with all of the other light-tasting American beers out there.
Feel: It's very easy to drink, it goes down smooth. It's easy to get carried away with a case of these. (I have some fond memories, haha)

Backlog. 12 oz bottle. Corn-filled aroma. Pale, not "extra pale" like the label says; no different than any other pale lager. Good lacing for this style. Flavor is sweet, surprisingly. High carbonation. Above average pale lager--definitely the best of this style I’ve ranked so far.

Not being a beer snob (smell to rate a beer?) I highly recommend the Rock to anyone who likes sitting under a tree on a hot summer day after mowing for an hour. Best if drunk out of the long neck bottle. This is beer for us average Joes!!

Sweet with high carbonation. You smile as you start to swallow, enjoying the dryness of the lager. BAM. Inside the back of your throat, a large extended family of particularly unkempt skunks succumb, as one, to a violent strain of dysentery. Gagging, you stare horrified at the beer, unsure how such a small bottle could contain such a massively terrible taste. You sip it again. Nothing. Crisp, sweet, mildly bitter. The skunks have vanished. Doubting your own senses, you taste again. And again, the taste is an unremarkable but serviceable lager. Sinking back into your chair, you close your eyes, content. You lift the bottle to your lips -- BAM. The skunks commit ritual suicide in your throat, by drinking poisoned sewage. Eyes watering, you shake your head in wonderment at Rolling Rock's two faces.

Having been unimpressed by this beer in the past, it had been years since I had tried it. A friend brought a bunch over to my place in those classic green bottles, and I had to try one.
There's not a lot of flavor here, but what is there is a very clean and refreshing. Very light, and has the potential to be a great summer beer if it's on sale. Otherwise there are others from the style I'd take over this. I think what's best about this beer is not what it is, but rather what it isn't. That is, it's not harsh, funky, or metallic like some AALs, which in some ways is endorsement enough.

Some joker brought a sixer of this to my party, where there was Southern Tier Unearthly & Rush River Unforgiven on tap. And left without drinking any. Ha ha, funny guy! I think I know who you are, punk!

Anyways. I'm loathe to review this. Even in college, this was always a beer I'd stick a lemon or lime in to try to kill of some of the, ah, taste. But it's here. I'm here. My Twins just coughed up four runs in the first inning to the Royals, my car's in the shop, I have water damage in the basement, & my daughter has pink eye. Bring on the fuckin' Rolling Rock!

Yellow like taking a piss just before it turns completely clear. Ring of soap scum around the edge of the glass. I'm letting my past influence this, huh? Tough. Smells just like the floor of First Avenue in Minneapolis.

Well, hell. It's not as bad as I remember. For a macro that smells terrible, the taste is almost palatable. It still isn't good, but it's not the road-kill skunk I recall. Maybe it was the locales. Or the company.

Drinkability? No thank you. And it's getting more fragrant & less inviting as it warms.

Not a good beer. At the risk of sounding snobbish, if my choice is Old Latrobe or apple juice, I'll be happy to grab a cardboard container of Juicy Juice.

The American Adjunct Lager...Have you seen it? Have you smelt it? Tasted it? Obviously no pretentious connoisseur will admit to it, or dignify it with a review. However, when times are tough, or even if they are not, why not get the most bang for your buck? I recently purchased a twelve pack of this beer for $8.94 . Any other beer in this genre that could be purchased at a competitive price would invariably cause headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and /or death. That being said, Rolling Rock is the supreme A.J.L. insofar as it has never caused me any of these symptoms, and has always given me a decent and refreshing buzz, without swelling my midsection into a gelatinous slime. At only 142 calories and $0.75 per 12 oz. bottle, Rolling Rock is my preferred session/go-to beer. A great value, and in the context of the genre, the best you are going to get as far as taste and mouth feel. DO NOT PURCHASE IN CANS! Bottles are far superior in flavor...and painting. Do not attempt to pour into a glass either! There is not much in the way of appearance or lacing to behold here. This is a beer for the masses, to be enjoyed straight out of the bottle, and for a reasonable price and caloric content. If you wear a monocle, and/or a top hat, steer clear, but if you are a practical and economical working person, this beer is a great return on investment.

This beer hit the market in NC just as I was coming of age. I was a commuting college student at the time, still living with Mom and Pop. I recall that upon my 21st birthday, my Mom soon bought me (unsolicited) one twelve-pack of Schlitz Malt Liquor, then one twelve-pack of Rolling Rock (perhaps she thought that if I switched to beer, I would be less interested in weed, and she was right; I haven't done that stuff for two decades). However, when she noticed how quickly I drained a 12-pack, the flow ran dry, lol. Not a bad beer for the price, though. Too much corn flavor for my liking, but I will get it every now and then if the price is right. It does have a more distinctive flavor than many AALs, you just have to like/be in the mood for that flavor.

Very nice appearance at first. Bright, clear, light golden color with a 1/4" foamy white head. Unfortunately, the head fades very quickly - even before I took a taste. Very fine bubbles enhance the appearance. The aroma is perfumy, sweet malt with no hops to be found. A light body and soft carbonation give a thin mouthfeel. Still, there's a little zesty touch on the tongue which helps to make up a little bit for the lack of hops. The flavor is very lightly malty with just a touch of creamed corn. Based on memory, this beer has been cleaned up quite a bit - no doubt under the influence of Labatt (which in turn is owned by Interbrew, Belgium). The finish is slightly sweet but not cloying. Although this beer is incredibly one-sided, there are no rough edges to fault it and it's actually nicely refreshing.

Unlike most AALs, this one actually has some merit to its appearance, with a nice extra pale golden body and a two-finger white head produced with moderately aerated pour. Minimal retention or lacing, but still. Aromas are – as expected – mostly grainy, metallic, and sulfuric. Flavors largely follow the nose, with just a tad of saaz-like hoppiness. Super light and smooth drinking. Overall definitely up there for go-to shit beer, along with Narragansett, PBR, Miller High Life.

Quick review. The basics: water-light, slick, skunky nose, general lack of interesting flavor (zero identifiable hop)...& yet I still have a soft spot for this brew. The goofy carb & cheapo malt components just speak to me, I guess.

Ah, the old days when Rolling Rock was like a gourmet beer...something rare...something to actively seek out. Found a sixer of these at Harry's in Marietta for $4.99 and decided to trip and fall down memory lane.

Appearance 2.25: Wow, this is indeed a "Pale Ale." Looks like watered-down apple juice. No head. No lacing. It's just there. It does kind of look beer-esque, though.

Taste 2.75: Front is missing. Nothing there, taste-wise. Middle is somewhat sweet, with heavy carbonation interrupting any deeper taste that might have been present. Finish is smooth, with a very light taste of malt, but that's it. Aftertaste is where some brief hints of corn pop up along with some brief hints of grains, before it all fades away.

Mouthfeel 2.25: Too much carbonation and it interferes with the taste of the beer.

Overall 2.75: In spite of this beer's many faults, it is still OK. Nothing fantastic, just a basic lagery, bubbly, malt beverage to quench your thirst or wash down some pizza or wings. If you can get it cheap in the summer, it is a great lawnmower beer. Still, if you pay over five bucks for a sixer of these, get your head examined. Again, this beer is not bad, it just is not that good. A classic and an OK beer, even if the jerks who bought it out closed down Pennsylvania's "Old Latrobe" and now brew it at some mega-brewery.

Very clear light yellow, or urine color with a good two fingers of white crackling head.

Smeels sweet, bready and grainy. Also smells a bit sour.

Taste is very light standard lager flavor. Not much really on the flavor as far as picking out any profiles.

Mouth feel is light and watery with an easy finish.

The smell was a bit odd as this came from a 25 oz. can and not a green bottle. The beer itself is light and easy going. Not a whole lot of flavor and seemed almost like a light beer. I guess if it were on a deep sale price I could get some for something served ice cold on a hot day. And we have plenty of hot days here in Las Vegas.

Last time I had this beer was in 1986 at a Hard Rock Cafe in NYC. Wow. Don't remember how it tasted back then, but this time I sampled a 12 ounce can. Very light straw color with a soapy white head that fades quickly. Smell is clean malts, rice, and some hops. Taste is very light. Like a light beer. Mostly rice and sweet malts. Very boring, actually. But clean and crisp. Not offensive at all. Huge lack of flavor, however. Probably would make a good backyard BBQ beer where you can easily have several of these. $8.69 for a 12 pack.

I usually buy it in bottles. Around here it runs about $5.97 for a 6 pack of bottles, $10 and some change for a 12 pack bottles and an amazing $13.57 for 24 pack of cans.

Now, I know what anybody would think-- it's in the same price range as Milwaukee Beast, Natural Light, and some other cheap, crappy varieties of beer, but let me tell you, there is a HUGE difference in taste.

First and foremost, it is the CRISPIEST beer I have ever had. So crispy, the carbonation is fantastic. It's always refreshing and extremely light. I would compare the body to something like a Bud Light, but without that flattened out, watered down taste Bud Light tends to have. Seriously, maybe it IS the green bottle, but I find it as crispy as drinking a soda, like a Sprite or a Fresca or a ginger ale or something of the sort.

Secondly, the AFTERTASTE--- one thing I have a huge problem with is a "yeasty" taste. I hate the taste of a super yeasty beer. The flavor lingers in your mouth long after you're finished drinking it and sometimes I can be so sick of a flavor like that I wish it would just go away. And not to mention, an "alcohol-y" taste lingering on your breath and on your tongue. Pretty much every beer I have EVER had has suffered from the above problems. And it is a huge problem for me because when I am done, I am done and I don't usually want to taste it anymore....

Not with Rolling Rock. This beer is amazing. It does not have that cheap "yeasty" taste, NOR does it leave that rubbing alcohol flavor in your mouth after you're done drinking it. I think some people may know what I mean, but I have trouble describing this in highly technical terms.

Also, I have NEVER suffered a headache or a hangover as a result of "overdoing it" (read: getting completely smashed) off of Rolling Rock, in cans OR bottles. Nor have I reached a point where I say to myself "I am absolutely SICK of tasting this beer."

Now, onto the whole bottles vs. cans debate. Here's my personal take on it: I get a little "drunker" (in that sloppy way) when I am drinking out of cans, this may be preferred by some people. I know SOMETIMES I do like this effect. Though, some may argue (even myself) that this is totally mental and has to do with the way you view "drinking out of a can." Maybe I associate drinking out of a can and crushing them after each one with a frat boy or trashy behavior, so maybe the effects I feel are related to how I view it.

As far as TASTE is concerned (bottle vs. can)... virtually, there is no DISADVANTAGE to drinking the canned version, but personally, I think I get a lot more of the subtle flavors from the bottled version. I do not know why this is, maybe it's just the way it pours into your mouth as you take a drink. I have not tasted any NEGATIVES (such as effects from the aluminum) in the canned version, so don't feel bad if you prefer to buy the 24 pack to be more cost efficient sometimes. This really is a GREAT beer (and I have tried many, again I'm no pro, but I know what I do NOT like in a beer and to avoid).

However, there is ONE MORE PRO to the bottled version as opposed to the canned version if we're going on taste alone.... and now, I don't even know HOW to explain this because I don't know enough about the brewing process to say and I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE if somebody else could relate to this, so I'm just going to throw it out there in case... even though it might sound absolutely insane, but the bottled version of Rolling Rock actually, at times, has subtle hints of CHOCOLATE. Yes, Chocolate. This is a Pale Ale. I have ONLY EVER tasted these notes in darker varieties and in stouts and like I said, maybe I'm not that experienced with the brewing process, but I thought porters and stouts were the only beers that could even HINT at these types of notes.

I know a lot of people probably judge this beer because of it's price... and you have every right to do so. But this beer has become SO BELOVED to me that I don't think I even ever want to try anything else. Like they say "If it's not broke, don't fix it." I have not read the reviews here yet, but based just on the BA score at the top, I think this beer gets a bad rap ONLY because people tend to think "good beer" comes at a larger price. I know, I know... some will say it all boils down to preference and maybe some people prefer cheap garbage, but I assure you.... this beer, as far as price is concerned, does NOT deserve to be in the same class as beers that run around the same rate. It's just not fair.

But it is fair that it is cheap and it's my favorite. I would absolutely love if people tried this beer or gave it another shot to see if they might pick up some hints of chocolate. I don't eat with my beer or anything like that so I can tell you it is NOT something that comes out with a pairing. It is strictly in the beer.

First of all, this is not what I would call a world class beer, but for what I drink it for, no other beer will do.

I think of this as malt soda, rather than beer, in the classical sense. It is a very crisp and refreshing beverage that absolutely has no equal in the summer months after a long day of lawn mowing in the hot sun. I grew up drinking this beer (back when they made it in Latrobe, PA), and it is the one beer that I still drink from my youth.

Incredibly smooth with out too much of the bitter hopp after taste. Crisp light and refreshing. One of the first apa ive tried and grown to enjoy. Might be a bit too watered down for some folks but if you like light beer this is the one for you.